Andrew Epstein on Gaining Strategic Planning Job Responsibilities

In Chapter 5 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "What New Challenges Are You Facing in Your Career?"  Epstein talks about the challenge of being a new member of the executive leadership team and taking on more strategic planning responsibilities in his work.  He notes how the time horizon of his work gets broader as longer-term planning becomes more important. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Andrew Epstein on Finding Personal Best by Facilitating Collaboration

In Chapter 6 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "When Are You At Your Best?"  Epstein finds he performs best bringing together teams to work on problems together.  He finds he brings people together in his personal life and sees it translate into his work. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Andrew Epstein on How to Be a Better Partner to Your Boss

In Chapter 7 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "How Have You Learned to Be a Better Partner to Your Boss?"  As a CFO of a network of charter schools working with his boss, the CEO, Epstein focuses on being mission-aligned and being fully committed to the organizational vision.  He makes it a point of setting expectations early in the relationship - in the hiring phase - to make sure he and his CEO are on the same page. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Andrew Epstein on Creating Entreprenuerial Charter School Jobs

In Chapter 8 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "What Has Your Work Experience Taught You About How Education Careers are Changing?"  Epstein shares how the charter school movement has enabled entrepreneurship to enter the education system.  He shares how charter schools are bringing young, motivated leaders into education in ways not seen previously.  He also shares how he reconciles encouraging an entrepreneurial structure that is also accountable to students, parents and teachers. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

How to Manage Across Work Disciplines - Andrew Epstein

In Chapter 9 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "How Have You Learned to Work More Effectively Across Different Disciplines?"  Epstein shares how he first puts people he trusts in place to do very specific jobs.  He then is able to make a specialist to generalist transition in his own role to then be a more effective general manager. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Andrew Epstein on Leading Teams by Nurturing Employee Growth

In Chapter 10 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "What Leadership Skills Are Becoming More Relevant as Your Career Progresses?"  Epstein believes the role of a leader is to get team members excited about their roles and engaged in their work.  He finds honesty, availability and presence help him nuture and develop his teams. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Andrew Epstein on Improving Organizational Job Skills

In Chapter 11 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "What Skills Are You Working on Right Now to Become Better at Your Job?"  Epstein constantly tries to improve how he uses systems to stay better organized at work.  Organizational skills help him manage multiple projects and multiple team members and what needs to get done when. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Andrew Epstein on How Structure Helps Manage and Motivate Teams

In Chapter 12 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "How Are You Learning to Better Manage and Motivate Teams?"  Epstein finds it more challenging to motivate teams than to motivate individuals.  In an environment where roles are constantly shifting, Epstein tries to find a balance between flexibility and structure in role definition. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

How to Perform Under Pressure and Meet Work Goals - Andrew Epstein

In Chapter 13 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "What Does It Mean to Perform Under Pressure in the Work That You Do?"  Epstein finds performing under pressure means working toward and meeting longer-term deadlines while also managing day-to-day operations with his team.  He finds it is important to ask for help when it is needed. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Andrew Epstein on Solving Work Problems When Things Go Wrong

In Chapter 14 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "How Have You Learned to Adapt When Things Have Not Worked Out as Planned?"  Epstein first takes a deep breath.  He makes a point to be supportive of his team and problem solve by using a process that keeps the team working toward a goal.  He uses an example of a school busing problem and how he and his team resolved it. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Andrew Epstein on Planning Charter School Market Entry Strategy

In Chapter 15 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "What Goals are You Setting as You Look to What Comes Next in Your Education Career?"  In his higher education executive job at Ascend Learning, Epstein looks out to opening out multiple new charter schools annually and putting the right business model and financing in place to achieve sustainable school growth. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Andrew Epstein on Setting Work Expectations When Starting a Family

In Chapter 16 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?"  Epstein speaks to the work-life balance he is struggling to better understand.  As his career aspirations grow as a higher education executive, so do his family aspirations to start a family.  This is the challenge he now faces in his late 30s. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

CFO Andrew Epstein on Getting Management Career Advice

In Chapter 18 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?"  Epstein reaches out to peers in comparable management roles.  He looks for support learning how to hire and develop bridge positions between higher education manager and executive level jobs.  Further, he looks for guidance on how to better manage home and work balance. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Andrew Epstein on Doing What is Best for Your Family and Future

In Chapter 23 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "What Steps are You Taking to Do What is Best for Your Family and Your Future?"  Epstein shares the struggle of finding a balance between aspiring more in his career to provide more for his family and managing time at work to be present at home.  He shares how he asks for help as he continues to seek that equilibrium. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Kyung B. Yoon on Career Advice for Gen Y Women Professionals

In Chapter 7 of 17 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, non-profit executive Kyung B. Yoon answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?"  As a Wellesley student, Yoon remembers wanting to have it all.  Experience teaches her you can have it all but not have it all at the same time.  She advises young Gen Y female professionals to invest in careers early to gain educational credentials and work experience to provide negotiating and bargaining leverage later in life and career. 

Kyung B. Yoon is the executive director of the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) in New York City.  An award-winning journalist and documentary film producer, Yoon earned an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in History and Political Science at Wellesley College.

Kyung B. Yoon on Improving Job Skills to Be a Better Non-Profit Leader

In Chapter 14 of 17 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, non-profit executive Kyung B. Yoon answers "What Skills Are You Working on Right Now to Become Better at Your Job?"  First, Yoon makes it a point to learn how to be a better community funder and how to better invest the funds she raises in the community.  Second, she continues to look at ways to raise funds beyond special events.  Third, as she works with Korean immigrants regularly, Yoon also focuses on improving her reading and writing to better connect with the Korean speaking immigrants she serves. 

Kyung B. Yoon is the executive director of the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) in New York City.  An award-winning journalist and documentary film producer, Yoon earned an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in History and Political Science at Wellesley College.

Jullien Gordon on How to Make Your Work More Lasting

In Chapter 7 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach Jullien Gordon answers "How Are You Learning to Make Your Work More Lasting?"  Gordon shares why he focuses on creating processes, not products or services, he can give to others.  By helping them incorporate processes into their work and habits, Gordon sees the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy that affects positive change in those he serves.  Jullien Gordon is a high performance coach and consultant to organizations, individuals and teams who want to increase employee performance, motivation, engagement and retention.  He earned a BA from UCLA, an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a Masters of Education from Stanford University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: How are you learning to make your work more lasting?

Jullien Gordon: I was having this conversation with my wife, who’s also my coach, the other day. And you know there’s a difference between selling a product, selling a service, and selling a process. And what I think I’ve created is a process. When you think about processes, you think about things like Six Sigma, that’s a process that organizations have adopted for quality control and when somebody’s adopted a process, it becomes part of their life. You can use a product here and there. You can use a service here and there. But a process is something that actually has to get integrated into your entire life and your way of being.

And so I’m trying to create and structure my work in such a way where it’s a process that you can adopt bits and pieces of on a regular basis. You know, one of those processes that I’ve established is the New Year Guide and that’s a process that people are integrating into their lives at the beginning of every year. It’s how do I go look at my goals and my intentions for the upcoming year. How do I evaluate and celebrate what I accomplished in the year before and that’s just part of the process and to the extent that I can continue to grow that year after year after year after year, it’s going to only expand and grow. Another process that I have is my thank account or my gratitude journal and that’s a process that I do daily in order to shift my mind from a mindset of scarcity to a mindset of abundance. And there are other people who have adopted this process into their life, and so I’m trying to instill processes into people’s lives and that’s how I think it will be long lasting, even beyond my life here on earth.

Jullien Gordon on Ways to Make Work Trips More Rewarding

In Chapter 10 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach Jullien Gordon answers "What Have You Found Most Rewarding About Traveling to New Places?"  Gordon notes how he focuses on breaking bread with friends when traveling across the United States for his work.  He places a priority on staying with friends and having personal time as well as digging into local cultures and the traditions and values that differentiate them.  Jullien Gordon is a high performance coach and consultant to organizations, individuals and teams who want to increase employee performance, motivation, engagement and retention.  He earned a BA from UCLA, an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a Masters of Education from Stanford University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: What have you found most rewarding about traveling to new places?

Jullien Gordon: I’ve been to I think about 40 states in the United States. The most beautiful thing about traveling to different places is hearing different people’s stories based on where they grew up and just seeing how much a region or an environment can actually shape the way someone thinks about the world. I also love being able to connect with all my friends who are all over the country and all over the world when I travel certain places. If I don’t have to stay in a hotel, I am willing to sleep on a friend’s couch, more importantly not because of the comfort but because I get to connect with them. And whenever I stay with a friend, I always take them out to dinner. I’m not paying for a hotel but I pay to have their presence at dinner. And so that’s one thing that I love, being able to give to them and contribute to them and just share in their presence once again. Whether we met in college, whether we met a long time ago, it’s just good to be in their presence again.

One of my metrics for success is breaking bread with people, and so when I’m coming to a town, I reach out to whoever I know there and who I want to reconnect with. And that becomes an opportunity for us and I’ve been fortunate because my work has allowed me to travel to amazing places all across the United States. Two of my favorite places happen to be Charleston, South Carolina and New Orleans. The reason I love those places is because despite consumer culture, they’ve been able to preserve their original authentic cultures. Like you don’t go there and see a whole bunch of multinational companies. You see small little businesses, and authentic architecture and design, and dialect and ways of living. Like if you’ve never seen a funeral in New Orleans then you are missing out. I mean they turn those into parades. And so—and then of course, authentic cuisine. And so those have been some of my favorite things about traveling to new places.